Buckle



V. S. KEPPEL.

BUCKLE.

No. 462,670. Patented Nov. 3,1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VALENTINE S. KEPPEL, OF IIOLMEN, VISCONSIN.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 462,670, dated November 3, 1891.

Application filed March 3l, 1890.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VALENTINE S. KEPPEL, of I'Iolmen, in the county ot La Grosse and State of ldiisconsiii, have invented a new and useful Buckle; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a buckle that, being simple of construction and inexpensive to make, is strong and enduring in all those parts on which strain in a buckle comes and which can be readiiy put in place or attached to a strap. Its peculiar construction especially adapts it for use with stiff or unwieldy straps that are difficult to thrust through the loops and over the tongue of ordinary buckles. This form of buckle also obviates the bending or looping of a strap about any part of the buckle in the manner in which a strap is ordinarily looped about the rear part of a buckle for securing the buckle to the strap to which it is permanently attached.

In the drawings, Figure l is a top view of my improved buckle with a strap connected therewith. Fig. 2 is a side View of the saine device and strap as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of the buckle alone with the keeper thrown upward. Fig. 4 is an end view of the device as shown in Fig. 3.

The buckle has a metal frame consisting of a back plate A, which may be in ornamental form, as shown in the drawings, having side Walls B B integral therewith and at right angles thereto, so that the frame forms a small channel in which the strap to which thebuckle is attached is to be placed. A tongue or post C is affixed rigidly centrally to the back A of the frame and projects therefrom parallel with the side walls to a distance about equal to the height of the walls. These walls and the post are of suificient height to equal two or more thicknesses of the straps to be secured to the buckle.

This buckle may be used to secure the ends of two straps together adjustably, when the straps are provided with a series of apertures for the post or tongue, by placing the end of Serial No. 346,012. (No model.)

one strap in the buckle, passing the post through an aperture in the strap, and then by placing the end of the other strap in the buckle over the first strap, the straps being arranged to extend from the buckle in opposite directions. The buckle, however, is more especially adapted for use with a strap, one end of which, as D, is placed in the buckle, the post C passing through an aperture'in the strap therefor. The strap is then carried to one side of the buckle and returned to the buckle, forming a loop, as E, the part F being 4placed in the buckle and carried beyond it,

the post C being passed through an aperture, as G. By this construction it will be seen that the strain on the strap or straps in opposite direction is transferred from one to the other through the post C alone, so that there isno considerable strain on the buckle otherwise. To retain the strap or straps in place in the buckle, a keeper II is hinged or pivoted` 1n loops Il?, formed by bending over projecting portions of the wall B, which keeper has two arms H H of such length as to extend across the channel of the buckle over the straps and engage the opposite wall B in recesses I I therefor in the wall. The arms I-I I-I are sufliciently elastic to permit them to be sprung out of the recesses I I and to hold them yieldingly in place when therein. This keeper Il is preferably formed of strong elastic wire and forms a lock of sufficient strength to hold the strap or straps in the buckle in place unless released therefrom by disengaging the arms H I-I from the recesses I I and swinging the arms backward from over the strap. This buckle is a convenient device for Joiiiing a third line to double lines when a third horse is to be used alongside a double team. A valuable feature of the buckle is that when used on the lines or other part of a liarness where a fly-net. would come iii contact with it it will not catch the strands of the net, some forms of buckles are liable to do. That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

As an improved article of manufacture, a buckle comprising a back having an inwardlyprojecting post, side walls integral with said back and bent at right angles thereto, one of said Wallsvbeing provided with loops, while the other has recesses at each end, and the keeper consisting of a piece of Wire having its ends bent at right angles, forming spring- 5 arms adapted to engage With said recesses,

said keeper being piv'oted in the loops in the side Wall, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

VALENTIN E S. K EPPEL.

Witnesses:

JOHN SEHILD, VALENTINE WEIMAR. 

